Means for fastening trim for finishing interior surfaces of walls, etc.



March 24, 1959 M. .w HALE 2,878,845

MEANS FOR FASTENING TRIM FOR FINISHING INTERIOR SURFACES 0F WALLS, ETC,

Filed May 23, 1956 MEANS FOR FASTENING TRIM FOR FINISHING INTERIORSURFACES F WALLS, ETC.

Merritt W. Hale, East Aurora, N.Y.

Application May 23, 1956, Serial No. 586,832

4 Claims. (Cl. 145-1) This invention relates to wall trim in the form ofmoldings applied to the angles between wall surfaces and to the methodof preparing for the attaching of such trim in place; and to thepreparation for and application of tion to which a trim element may beattached, to the 'end that the baseboard of a building or the foundationof any other object may be uncovered and be con veniently cleaned,restored, and/or painted, without the possibility of the baseboard orother foundation becoming spattered with paint or otherwise having theexposed portions of the foundation ruined, such as by sanding or thelike.

A further object is to utilize a shoe or molding to form part of abaseboard serving as interior trim for dwellings and the like; theinvention being usable as original installation and as molding wherepreviously installed so that a baseboard of a wall or partition iscapable of being painted without any possibility of the paint drippingonto the shoe or onto the floor adjacent the baseboard and thepaint thenreaching the plastered or unpainted area of a room when repainting workis done.

A still further object of this invention is to utilize a drill jig inthe form of a heavy steel block approximately four inches in length andhaving a cross sectional formation with two adjacent sides at a rightangle to each other and an intervening bevel side at approximately 45 tothe right angular sides; the drill jig having a nail hole drilledtherethrough extending from the bevel side of the drill jig between thetwo right angular sides of the latter, as'appears in the drawing.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation showing a portion of a buildingstructure having the molding strip or shoe trim in'position against thebaseboard fastened or waiting to -be fastened along its lower edge.

Fig. 2 is a sectional perspective view of a portion of a. buildingstructure showing my improved drill jig placed in position in an openangle of the structure.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a nail partially entered intoa previously formed hole in the building structure and extending throughthe inclined bore of the jig block, this view illustrating the angle ofthe bore of the jig block and the corresponding angle of a nail holerelative to the building structure when the nail hole has been madethrough the use of the jig block.

' Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view of one of the flexible metallicclips adapted to engage a complementary part formed on the shoe orornamental strip used for embellishing the interior of the buildingstructure.

a Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the inner end of the nailer ice employedfor fastening the metallic retainer clips in place.

Fig. 6 is a detached perspectiveview of one of the flexible retainershaving the spreading and puncturing end of the nailer inserted thereintoshowing a'nail within said retainer adapted to be driven into the baseor other foundation element when the walls of the retainers are spreadapart preparatory to fastening the clips rigidly along the base atintervals in the length of the latter and/ or to the foundation materialin the building structure.

Fig. 7 is a cross section through a trim member, such as a moldingstrip, applied to the open angle of two parts of a building structure.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section through the nailer of the spreading andnailing device.

Referring to the drawings in detail as applied to a building structure,as an example, the reference numeral 8 designates a wall or partitionwhich may be constructed of studs and plaster; a wall or partition beingusually employed to separate one room from another,

The joists 9 of the floor are usually covered with subflooring material10 which in turn is covered with a finishing hardwood flooring material11, the upper face of which is disposed at a right angle to the side 12of the wall or partition and in this right angle the baseboard 13 ispositioned. The baseboard 13, from an economical point of view, isusually of soft wood, but invariably the upper layer of the flooring 11along the lower marginal portion of the baseboard is constructed ofhardwood, as is the trim material, and the use of my invention possessesmany advantages in that it enables the shoe 14 to be fastened to thebaseboard without the necessity of driving nails through the shoe. Forthis purpose I provide resilient sheet metal clips which are alreadyformed to desired shape and have nail holes in them. These clips arearranged at spaced-apart intervals along the wall or other foundationelement and fastened in place by suitable nails 19.

Where studs are used for wall or partition structures these studs arespaced 16" or any other regular distance apart and it is the purpose ofthis invention to drive these nails 19 obliquely into the lower ends ofthe studs so as to assure a solid construction in which this inventionis embodied.

The hardwood surface layer of flooring 11 is also diflicult to penetratewith nails and consequently in'prior practice a bit brace or drill jighas been employed to drill a hole through the shoe 14 and into orthrough the baseboard 13 and in most instances into the studs and anyfoundation or building member or material structure lying in the path ofthe nail being hammered in place. Instead of a bit brace, a drill jig,such as 15, is utilized for locating and forming the nail hole at thedesired angle.

This drill jig is formed of steel andis so shaped that two side faces16, 17, which I term contact or pressure faces are provided which aredesigned to be positioned against the face of the baseboard whileresting on the floor. In the particular embodiment of the inventionillustrated in the drawing, the jig block 15 is square shaped in crosssection and it has an upper flat transversely inclined longitudinal faceportion at the corner of the block diagonally opposite the lower cornerthereof at the juncture of its side and bottom contact faces 16 and 17,said upper fiat face portion extending at an angle of approximately 45to the contact faces 16 and 17. The jig block is provided with a bore orhole 24 extend ing transversely substantially diagonally therethrou'ghfrom its upper inclined corner face portion to the line of intersectionof the vertical side and bottom horizontal contact faces 16 and 17 as itmay be termed. A tool is provided which comprises a tube 20 having anexterior tapered head 21 and a plunger 22 within said tube which isprovided with a wire penetrator 23 to be driven into the floor andbaseboard at the angle of the two so that this wire penetrator forms anail hole 24 in the wall and floor structure at the exact angle of theface of the base with the upper surface of the hardwood floor layer 11or as near thereto as possible, as best shown in Fig. 3.

When the baseboard 13 and the shoe 14 are incorporated in a wall orpartition and the wall or partition is completed, the shoe, which isprovided with a retainer rib 25 extending along its full length on itsinner face and while fastening the shoe in place at the angle formed bythe floor and the adjacent side of the wall or partition, the nailer 18is utilized to fasten the shoe 14 in place, as best shown in Fig. 7. Thetool is utilized to fasten a longitudinal series of retainer clips 26 tothe baseboard and/or the floor, as the case may be, the tapered end ofthe nailer head 18 being positioned within the retainer and by means ofa hammer, the wire penetrator 23 is driven downwardly to form a nailhole in the floor and the wire clips thus forcibly positioned in theangle part of the floor and the face of the baseboard at the same time.

The retainers which are stamped out of spring steel, are of generalV-shaped configuration in cross section, each clip having at its freeends reversely curved sub stantially semi-circular end portions normallydisposed close together. Each retainer clip is provided with a nail hole27 through which the penetrator 23 of the nailer is driven so that thishole is continued into the baseboard and any supporting element behindthe same so as to form a nail hole in the floor. The plunger of the toolor nailing device is then moved back into position in the tapered headafter which this tapered head will be guided in the grooved portion ofthe retainer which is later to receive the retainer rib 25 formed on theinner side of the shoe and by hammering the plunger 22 down, the nailwill be driven through the retainer and enter the floor at the angle ofthe latter to hold the shoe firmly in place.

When a professional is engaged to paint the interior of a house, or whenthis is carried out by one not experienced in this line of work, thecost of repainting can be reduced considerably and even if the painingis done by an amateur, it will have the appearance of a professionaljob.

When it is desired to paint the interior trim of a house, the shoe istaken hold of and pulled out so that the retainer ribs 25 will bedislodged from the groove or grooves extending along the baseboard. Thisleaves the face of the baseboard without obstructions and easy torepaint.

Even if the paint runs down the baseboard and into the space originallyoccupied by the shoe 14, it will be covered up when putting the shoeback into place. The same application is resorted to when the parts areoriginally installed in a house. When the jig block 15 rests on thefloor and is positioned against the base board, the wire penetrator 23is passed successively through the inclined bore in the jig and driveninto the wall structure so as to form a nail hole in the latter. Theangle at which this nail hole is formed in the structure is determinedby the angle of the inclined bore or hole in the jig after which theclips are placed against the floor and baseboard and the tapered head 21of the nailer 18 entered into the grooves of the clips with the nailpartly driven into the floor.

In another application of my invention to a medium priced dwellingequipped with hardwood floor borderregions and softwood or other cheaperbaseboards having molding strips applied to the baseboard where itadjoins the hardwood floor border-region, my improved drill jig 15 isplaced in the angle of the partition and flooring; it having a nail hole24 formed obliquely therethrough so as to bring the inner end of saidhole a trifle above the angle formed by the partition or baseboard ofthe floor with the drill jig so positioned. After so positioning thedrill jig, the bit of a drill is passed through the nail hole in thedrill jig preparatory to forming an opening for the nail to enter, afterwhich the drill is placed in the nail hole in the drill jig so as toguide the drill and guard against breakage of the same. So arranged itis an easy matter to flexibly connect the parts of wall trim in the formof moldings so that other parts or foundation elements beneath themolding will be completely exposed for painting and matching trim withthe finish of the part uncovered retained for unaltered surfaces or maybe otherwise used and/ or worked upon. For example, refinishing thehardwood floor regions which may be subjected to the action of a disksander used for finishing the edges and corners and be capable ofreaching into the corner and close to the baseboard.

Another specific exemplification of the use of my invention is toutilize the drill jig to drill a hole in the corner or angle formed bythe baseboard and the floor; the hole so formed being through a part orparts which require drilling preparatory to driving a nail through thesame. After drilling the hole in the angle or corner formed by the basemember and the floor, the drill jig is removed and a retainer clipplaced in position with a hole registering with the hole drilled in thebuilding structure.

The molding element is provided with a head or projection 25 on itsinner face designed to be received and embraced by the flexible metallicclips so that they may be forced into place by mere pressure applicationor may be removed under reverse force,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. Means for attaching trim material in corners at the juncture ofadjoining walls in buildings including a drill jig comprising anelongate metal block of angular cross sectional form having adjoiningflat vertical side and horizontal bottom contact faces extending at aright angle to each other, the jig block being of a size to fit intoadjoining wall corners with said contact faces bearing against the wallsurfaces, and said block having a bore extending transversely obliquelytherethrough from an upper outer face portion thereof substantially inline with a point in the region of the apex of said side and bottomcontact faces, and a tool comprising a tube having a part at its lowerend to engage upon an upper face portion of the jig block, and a drivingplunger slidable in said tube and having a wood penetrator rod-likeelement extending from its lower end in line therewith slidable in thebore of said jig block and guided thereby to form a nail hole in thewall structure at the desired angle, said plunger projecting outwardlybeyond the upper end of said tube, and the upper end of the plungerbeing adapted to receive driving impacts from a hammer.

2. Means for attaching trim material in corners at the juncture ofadjoining walls in buildings including a drill jig comprising anelongate metal block of angular cross sectional form having adjoiningfiat vertical side andhorizontal bottom contact faces extending at aright angle to each other, and a relatively narrow transversely inclinedupper face portion opposite the apex of said bottom and side contactfaces, the jig block being of a size to fit into adjoining wall cornerswith its contact faces bearing against the wall surfaces, and said blockhaving a bore extending transversely obliquely therethrough from itsupper inclined face portion substantially in line with a point in theregion of the apex of said side and bottom contact faces, a toolcomprising a tube having at its lower end intergral therewith anelongate head of general wedge shaped form, said head being broadest atthe point of juncture of the same with said tube, the outer narrower endof said head having a flat end face adapted to be engaged with saidupper inclined face,por-

tion of the jig block, and said head having a bore extending lengthwisethrough the same, said last mentioned bore being of less diameter thanthe interior diameter of said tube and extending in alignment with andcommunicating with the interior of the tube, a driving plunger slidablein said tube and having a combined wood penetrator and nail drivingrod-like element extending from the lower end thereof in alignmenttherewith, said rodlike element being of a diameter to slidably engagethe bore in the head of the tool and also the bore in the jig block andbe guided by the latter to form a nail hole in the wall structure at thedesired angle, said plunger projecting outwardly from the upper end ofsaid tube and the upper end of the plunger being adapted to receivedriving impacts from a hammer.

3. Means for attaching trim material in corners at the juncture ofadjoining walls in buildings including a drill jig comprising anelongate metal block of angular cross sectional form having adjoiningflat vertical side and horizontal bottom contact faces extending at aright angle to each other, and a relatively narrow transversely inclinedupper face portion opposite the apex of said bottom and side contactfaces, the jig block being of a size to fit into adjoining wall cornerswith its contact faces bearing against the wall surfaces, and said blockhaving a bore extending transversely obliquely therethrough from itsupper inclined face portion substantially in line with a point in theregion of the apex of said side and bottom contact faces, a toolcomprising a tube having at its lower end integral therewith an elongatehead of general wedge shaped form, said head being broadest at the pointof juncture of the same with said tube, the outer narrower end of saidhead having a flat end face adapted to be engaged with said upperinclined face portion of the jig block and said head having a boreextending lengthwise through the same, said last-mentioned bore being ofless diameter than the interior diameter of said tube and extending inalignment with and communicating with the interior of the tube, adriving plunger slidable in said tube and having a combined woodpenetrator and nail driving rod-like element extending from the lowerend thereof in alignment therewith, said rod-like element being of adiameter to slidably engage the bore in the head of the tool and alsothe bore in the jig block and be guided by the latter to form a nailhole in the wall structure at the desired angle, said plunger projectingoutwardly from the upper end of said tube and the upper end of theplunger being adapted to receive driving impacts from a hammer, and aspring trim engaging and retainer clip of general V-shaped configurationin cross section and of a size to fit into adjoining wall corners, saidclip having at its free ends reversely curved substantiallysemi-circular end portions normally disposed close together, and saidclip having a flat intermediate portion provided with an aperture for anail to fasten the clip to the wall structure, said tool being adaptedto be positioned with the outer end of its head disposed between theoutermost portions of the reversely curved end portions of the retainerclip positioned within an adjoining wall corner, and the tool then movedinwardly so that the reversely curved end portions of the retainer clipare spread apart by the tool head and the latter enters the clip inposition for operation of its driving plunger to complete the driving ofa nail to secure the retainer clip to the wall structure, the reverselycurved end portions of the retainer clip embracing the tool head atopposite sides acting to maintain the tool head in proper centeredrelation with the clip during the driving of the nail.

4. Means for attaching trim material in corners at the juncture ofadjoining walls in buildings including a drill jig comprising anelongate metal block of generally square shaped cross sectional formhaving adjoining flat vertical side and horizontal bottom contact facesextending at a right angle to each other, and said block having an uppertransversely inclined flat face portion at the corner of the blockdiagonally opposite the lower corner thereof at the juncture of saidvertical side and horizontal bottom contact faces, the jig block beingof .a size to fit into adjoining wall corners with said side and bottomcontact faces thereof bearing against the wall surfaces, and said blockhaving a bore extending transversely substantially diagonallytherethrough from said upper inclined corner face portion to the line ofintersection of said vertical side and horizontal bottom contact faces,and a Wood penetrator rod-like element slidable in the bore of said jigblock and guided thereby to form a nail hole in the wall structure atthe desired angle, and driving means for said penetrator element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

